Since the discovery in 2012 of a link between androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) and PGD2, the race has been on to find a hair loss cure based on this discovery. Big pharma is currently trialling a range of PGD2-based hair loss treatments. But many natural products that may reduce PGD2 already exist. One of them is resveratrol – but is it effective for treating hair loss?

What is resveratrol?

If you’ve seen one of the many headlines touting the health benefits of red wine, you may have heard of resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol – a group of organic compounds that are thought to have numerous health benefits.

And resveratrol is found (amongst other places) in the skin of red grapes. Since red wine is made from red grapes, it too contains this wonder ingredient.

And if the headlines are to be believed, it really is a wonder ingredient! A broad range of health benefits are said to accompany resveratrol consumption, from reduced risk of cancer to increased lifespan.

Related conditions

Of course, what we’re concerned about is whether resveratrol works for hair loss. Specifically, androgenetic alopecia, or typical male pattern hair loss.

The cause of hair loss

As you may already know, the current medical understanding of hair loss is that it is caused by DHT.

DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, is a hormone formed when testosterone interacts with 5-alpha reductase. It is claimed that DHT binds to hair follicles and that this is what causes them to shrink. Eventually, follicles get so small that they no longer produce visible hair.

As well as PGD2 inhibition, the inflammation angle is relevant too. Inflammation is very often correlated with male pattern hair loss. While this inflammation may not be the cause, PGD2 looks to be a common cause of both the inflammation and the hair loss.

“In the present study, we investigated the mechanism behind the effect of PGD2 on osteoprotegerin (OPG) synthesis and the effect of resveratrol on the OPG synthesis […] These results strongly suggest that resveratrol suppresses PGD2-stimulated OPG synthesis.”

Whilst neither of these resveratrol studies examined its effects on hair loss specifically, they both have a common finding: resveratrol reduces PGD2. If PGD2 is an important cause of hair loss, then it stands to reason that resveratrol may be an effective treatment for the management of androgenetic alopecia.

Resveratrol hair loss studies

Unfortunately, there are no trials that specifically test the efficacy of resveratrol for hair loss.

However, the following facts suggest resveratrol may be an effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AA):

Resveratrol reduces the risk of heart disease, and AA is correlated with heart disease

It improves insulin response, and AA is correlated with poor insulin response

It reduces inflammation, and AA is correlated with follicle inflammation

And most importantly: resveratrol reduces PGD2 levels, and AA is correlated with increased PGD2 levels

When looked at together, these observations seem more than just coincidence.

Hair loss cure?

Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough evidence to say with certainty whether resveratrol is an effective hair loss treatment.

PGE2 is another prostaglandin. Prostaglandins are in balance with each other. Often, one has inflammatory effects, and another has an opposing anti-inflammatory effect.

PGD2 is inflammatory, PGE2 is anti-inflammatory. One appears to be beneficial for hair. The other appears to be harmful to it. So, if resveratrol blocks both PGD2 and PGE2, it suffers the same drawbacks as aspirin for hair loss: it reduces both.

It seems, at least as far as hair loss is concerned, the balance between prostaglandins is more important than the overall levels.

And while there is some reason to suggest resveratrol may lead to a more favorable balance, the jury is still out.

Research the hair loss industry chooses to ignore

Despite what pharmaceutical companies may say, there is more to hair loss than hormones. But since they can't make money from the truth, there's no point advertising it! Find out the complete picture and start recovering your hair today.